FILE - Martha Stewart attends the Z100s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2022 Press Room at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) Martha Stewart on Monday was named one of the Sports Illustrated 2023 Swimsuit Issue cover models, becoming the oldest to ever grace the iconic magazine cover at age 81.Stewart revealed the image on the "Today" show, recalling the swimsuit photoshoot experience as "odd.""It’s odd to go to an island and get changed into nine different bathing suits in front of all of those people – and it turned out OK," she said.Deemed by the publication as "the OG of influencers," Stewart is both a businesswoman and media personality.
She’s the founder of lifestyle company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, author of 99 lifestyle books to date, and more. Stewart said Sports Illustrated asked for her to be ready by the end of January to pose for the cover, which was "a request I’d never had before.""To be on the cover at my age was a challenge, and I think I met the challenge," Stewart said on the "Today" show, noting how she went to pilates "every other day" and maintained a "good diet and healthy skincare" routine."For me, it’s a testament to good living," Stewart added. "And I think that all of us should think about good living, successful living, and not about aging."Stewart rose to fame in the 1980s when she began writing cookbooks after her success as a chef, according to Sports Illustrated.
She launched her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, in 1990. She also hosted two syndicated television shows, "Martha Stewart Living" and later "The Martha Stewart Show."But her cultural significance has expanded in other ways.